Window regulator handles



Dec. 16, 1969 p, BOUTHQRS ET AL 3,483,769

WINDOW REGULATOR HANDLES Filed March 1, 1968 nited States Patent US. Cl. 74-547 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Winding window regulator handle for vehicle, which comprises a regulator handle arm carrying a control knob at its free end, characterised in that said arm and knob are so mounted that the knob can be retracted to an inoperative and collapsed safety position in the plane of rotation of said arm.

The present invention relates to winding window regulator handles, more particularly but not exclusively for automotive vehicles.

The regulator handle for winding window according to this invention comprising a handle arm carrying a knob at its free end is characterised in that the mounting of said arm and knob assembly is so conceived that the knob can be retracted, when inoperative, within the plane of rotation of said arm.

Thus, in the inoperative position of said handle, the knob projects but very moderately from the assembly, thus reducing the risks of injury in case of impact with a passenger of the vehicle in the zone of said handle.

According to a preferred form of embodiment of this invention the handle knob and arm are rigidly assembled and the knob is retracted by rotatably mounting the arm in a bracket rigid with the regulator shaft.

Moreover, according to another preferred form of embodiment, means are provided for locking the arm and knob assembly in the desired position.

In order to afiord a clearer understanding of this invention and of the manner in which the same may be carried out in practice, reference will now be made to the attached drawing illustrating diagrammatically by way of example two diflerent forms of embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of the regulator handle;

FIGURE 2 is an end view showing the device as seen from the right hand side of FIGURE 1;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are fragmentary sections taken along the line A of FIGURE 1, to illustrate the positive locking of the handle arm;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, front elevational view showing another form of embodiment of the handle, and

FIGURE 6 is a section taken along the line B of FIG- URE 5, showing the method of locking the handle arm.

The winding window regulator handle illustrated in FIGURE 1 comprises a handle arm 1 carrying at its free end a control knob 2 and has its opposite end mounted in a bracket 3 rigid with the regulator shaft 4 driving a conventional winding window mechanism (not shown) of any suitable type. Besides, the regulator shaft 4 may be trunnioned in any suitable manner in a panel P equipped with the window regulator, a mounting plate p being interposed between the bracket 3 and said panel in the example illustrated in the drawing.

The handle arm 1 comprises a rod section rotatably mounted about its axis in a recess 5 of bracket 3 in which 3,483,769 Patented Dec. 16, 1969 it is retained against axial movement by a pin 6 engaging a circular groove 7 formed in said rod.

The recess 5 comprises an enlarged portion 5a adapted to receive a helical spring 8 having one end anchored at 8a in the bracket 3 and the other end engaged at 8b in a slot 9 formed in the inner or opposite end of arm 1.

The spring 8 is prestressed to normally urge the knob 2 in the direction of the arrow F, i.e. to its retracted position in which it lies against the panel P, as shown in FIGURE 2 and is substantially co-planar with the arm 1.

A spring-loaded lock bolt 10 slidably mounted in said bracket 3 adapted to co-act with the slot 9 is urged to this end by a coil compression spring 11 for engagement with the inner end of rod 1.

The relative position of lock bolt 10 and slot 9 are such that in the retracted position of knob 2 (FIGURE 2) resulting from the action of spring 8 the lock bolt 10 is urged against a solid portion of rod 1 as shown in FIGURE 3.

When the knob 2 is moved manually to the operative position (shown in dash-and-dot lines in FIGURES 1 and 2) the slot 9 is caused to register with lock bolt 10 and the latter penetrates into this slot as shown in FIG- URE 4 and dash-anddot lines in FIGURE 1, so that the assembly comprising the knob, handle arm and bracket 3 is locked in the window-regulator operating or driving osition.

In FIGURE 1 it will be seen that in this operative position the lock bolt 10 has one end projecting somewhat from the bracket 3, so that it is only necessary to depress this lock bolt in the direction of the arrow E until it is fully extracted from the slot 9, for causing the knob and arm assembly to resume its retracted or inoperative position in which it is normally urged by spring 8.

In the alternate form of embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 6, the knob 2 is also carried by the free end of handle arm 1a which, in this construction, is slidably and rotatably mounted in a recess 12 of bracket 3a rigid with the regulator shaft 4.

Fitted in the recess 12 is a coil compression spring 13 surrounding the inner end of arm 1a which is provided with a diametral key 14 engaged by said spring 13, whereby the arm 1a is constantly urged to the right as seen in FIGURE 5, within the limits permitted by the abutment member 15 inserted in recess 12 and engaged by the diametral key 14 in the outermost position of arm 1a. On the other hand, this abutment member 15 constitutes in conjunction with the bracket 3a a groove 16 (see FIGURE 6) engaged by said key 14 in the operative position of knob 2 as shown in thick lines in FIGURE 5. Besides, the abutment member has a slot 17 formed therein which is adapted to receive said key 14 (see FIG- URE 6) in the retracted position of knob 2 as shown in dash-and-dot lines in FIGURE 5.

It is clear that with this arrangement when it is desired to move the knob 2 from one position to another, it must firstly be pushed in the direction of the arrow T (FIG- URE 5) so that, by compressing spring 13 and releasing key 14, it will assume either of the two positions shown in dash-and-dot lines, and subsequently moved from one to the other of these two positions by rotating the knob in the direction of the arrow R, and finally allowing this knob to take the desired position, in which it is keyed and maintained by the action of spring 13.

Of course, various modifications and variations may be brought to the forms of embodiment shown and described herein, and other forms of embodiment may be imagined by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

We claim:

1. A winding Window regulator handle for operating the window winding mechanism of a vehicle comprising a regulator handle arm having a control knob at a free end thereof, a bracket operatively connected to said Winding mechanism, the other end of said arm being axially rotatably mounted in said bracket, means for locking said arm and knob in either of an operative position with said knob extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of Winding rotation of said arm and an inoperative position with said knob lying substantially in said plane of rotation of said arm, said locking means comprising a spring-loaded lock bolt on said bracket and a slot formed in said other end of said arm, said lock bolt engaging in said slot to lock said arm and knob in the operative position, said lock bolt being adapted to be manually released, and spring means biasing said arm and knob to said inoperative position.

References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS 8/1939 Great Britain. 10/1957 France.

FRED C. MATTERN, JR., Primary Examiner F. D. SHOEMAKER, Assistant Examiner 

